Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS
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Close but no cigar as the ROCK scares GU, again, but still can't get over the hump. Barring weird game in the final 4, everyone's trekking to Erie in March. Hoping a late winter storm doesn't show up. -
Glad to see there's a good slate tonight in the PSAC. The slate in the MEC is absolute dog breath tonight. Unless you're a die-hard for an MEC team, spend your time tuning in to the PSAC tonight. I'm hoping WLU can make quick work of Frostburg, so I can catch some late action flipping over to the PSAC games (loved the IUP-Hurst OT the last time out because it extended the game and gave me a chance to tune in after finishing my local game).Leave a comment:
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Valentine's Day has brought with it a pretty strong lineup tonight. There are some very important games and some very interesting rematches from a month ago. As always, you degenerates, happy gambling.
Shippensburg at Mansfield - The race for the final PSAC Tournament spot in the East is a mess. Directly in the center of said mess sits these two teams. The Top 6 teams make it. Four have already clinched, and Shepherd enters tonight snug in the 5-hole - up 3 games on both Shippensburg and Mansfield. So, the odds are looking pretty good that one of these two teams is not getting invited to the mini-dance. The first meeting, while lacking fanfare, may have been one of the most entertaining games of the season thus far. The Raiders hammered the Mounties in the first half -- then got hammered in the second half. Mansfield eventually won the OT session, 16-5, and secured a wild 98-87 victory. Interesting stat of the game: Mansfield went 0-9 from deep in the first half, and then hit a whopping 10-14 in the second. Of note, Mansfield star sophomore forward Saraj Ali didn't play in the first meeting. He's back now. However, a once-somewhat promising season has gone off the rails for the Mounties, who have lost 7 straight. Both teams can play fairly well in stretches -- and not so well in other stretches. Very tough game to pick. The home team gets a slight edge, bolstered by the return of Ali. Mounties -3.5
Millersville at Shepherd - Round 1 ended in a knockout. The Rams were down just 6 points at halftime but then got blitzed in the second half, ultimately losing 69-44. Whatever adjustments Millersville made at the break worked, as the Rams scored just 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Shepherd tends to live and die with the trey, and, well, it wasn't falling on that night. Perhaps things will be different tonight in Shepherdstown. But, probably not. Millersville is a legit NCAA team. This shouldn't be another 25-point laugher, but the end result will be another win for the 'Ville. Millersville -12.5
East Stroudsburg at Lock Haven - Aside from being a huge game in the East race, this meeting will play a huge role in the upcoming NCAA discussions. ESU is still in the mix to host the Regional. Lock Haven is currently on the NCAA bubble, packed with several similar-record teams. The Bald Eagles pulled an upset last month on the road, beating the Warriors, 75-70. This should have a playoff atmosphere inside Thomas Fieldhouse -- a pretty rare occurence. Logic says in a big game to take the more experienced team. ESU has played in a lot of high-pressure games over the years. Lock Haven has not. Add in the revenge factor, and the smart money goes on the road team. But, buyer beware. The Bald Eagles are built to play against the pressure and have a slew of strong guards. Warriors -5.5
Kutztown at West Chester - Well, if you had Kutztown +41.5 at Shippensburg this past Saturday, you had a good day. Chances are you didn't -- considering the Golden Bears beat the Raiders by 12 in January. Kutztown is now 3-20, and the total egg it laid in Shippensburg is perhaps a sign this young team is throwing in the towel. The Rams remain an enigma. They'll be a scary bunch in the tournament. They have their moments, and, at times, look like an elite team. Other times, however, they look like a 9-loss team. One sure bet is they'll look good tonight. This should be a run-away. West Chester was sloppy in the first meeting, winning by just 9 points. At home tonight it shouldnt be close. WCU -15.5
Pitt-Johnstown at IUP - The Mountain Cats ended their 10-game losing streak by defeating Edinboro. IUP is on a two-game skid, albeit having lost in 2 OT at Mercyhurst and losing to powerful Gannon by just 2 points. Gannon, in fact, will play more players tonight than these two teams combined. Scorekeepers' Delight. One thing for certain when these two neighbors play is the final score will likely be in single digits. Joe Lombardi is 21-4 against Bob Rukavina, but this series has produced nail-biter after nail-biter. Tonight will be no different. Some think Rukavina knows Lombardi's offense and defense better than the long-time IUP head coach does. UPJ used an interesting tactic in the first meeting (a narrow 73-72 IUP win). The Mountain Cats totally ignored IUP's small forward ... as in they didn't cover him at all. Instead, they hammered Ethan Porterfield all night with double teams. IUP was caught off guard and really struggled to get any offensive flow. It will be interesting to see if UPJ does the same tonight - and how IUP will attack it. UPJ is also now without star PG Andrew Shull, who ironically played his last game against IUP. Don't expect fireworks. It won't be pretty. Look for IUP to win in the range of 70-62. Crimson Hawks -7.5
Clarion at California - Golden Eagles' star power forward Jayson Harris recently returned after missing several weeks. Clarion is struggling with a 7-16 record and is on the brink of being eliminated from the conference tournament. However, this isn't a team to take lightly. The Golden Eagles have lost a ton of close games against good teams -- common for a team full of talented freshmen and sophomores. This year Clarion has taken ESU, IUP and Calfiornia to the wire. Eventually, they are going to get somebody. Will it be tonight in Angelo's Dome? Unlikely. Cal hasn't been playing its best basketball of late, but continues winning. The Vulcans have been in some real street fights the past couple weeks with teams they should in reality be blowing out. Clarion has the size and playmakers to hang around with the Vulcans. Cal just has more experience and more depth. Vulcans -9.5
Mercyhurst at Edinboro - It's time for Round 2. The Fighting Scots won last month in Erie for the first time in forever. New head coach Justin Jennings found a crack in Mercyhurst's famous match-up zone, and left the MAC with a very rare, 75-69 victory. The first meeting was an extremely chippy game between these two local rivals. Expect more of the same tonight. That said, don't expect the same result. The Lakers are playing well and should be a force in the PSAC Tournament. Mercyhurst gets revenge. Lakers -7.5
Slippery Rock at Gannon - There are two versions of Slippery Rock. The home edition is very good. The Rock is 9-1 in Morrow Fieldhouse. The lone loss came against Gannon (in OT). The other version, however, isn't very good. Slippery Rock is 2-10 on the road. Figure that out for yourself. Gannon returns (kind of) home fresh off a narrow win in Indiana. The first meeting had a lot of fireworks. SRU has the athletes and size to hang around in this game. But, the stats are the facts -- 9-1 at home and 2-10 on the road. This is on the road. Gannon -9.5
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Not sure but that's a huge item. Potential home court in the Final Four on the line.Originally posted by CALUPA69 View PostLeave a comment:
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The PSAC Tournamet is fast approaching. It's pretty clear at this point which teams from the West will be participating. The top three below have already clinched a spot.
Updated West Men's Standings:
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-TEAM PSAC OVERALL STREAK Gannon * 15-2 21-2 W10 California * 14-3 20-3 W2 IUP * 11-5 14-8 L1 Slippery Rock 9-7 11-11 L1 Mercyhurst 8-8 12-12 W2 Seton Hill 8-9 13-10 W1 Clarion 5-12 7-16 L1 Edinboro 5-12 6-17 L2 Pitt-Johnstown 4-13 6-17 W1
Biggest games this week:
Slippery Rock at Gannon - SRU is one of those 'don't catch them on the wrong night' teams. GU won the first meeting in OT.
Seton Hill at Mercyhurst - The Lakers won on a (shocker) Jeff Planutis walk-off trey in Greensburg last month. The loser of this game may be on a path to the KCAC in Round 1.Leave a comment:
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my only critique of this.. is that I don't think you put enough consideration into IUP having lost to Hurst 3 days prior to playing Gannon.. they were coming out swinging (as they normally would), but with even more intensity coming off a loss. I would've still predicted a Gannon win, but a spread more around -7.5. So I, too, would have been wrong lol but I definitely did not anticipate a 20+ margin for Gannon.. even when they were up by 18 - IUP was still really in it.Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS View PostLeave a comment:
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also, with the way it currently is, maybe instead of naming a region champ, take the top 2 teams from each region (when it's down to 2) and put those 16 teams together and then reseed (i hate the reseeding at the Elite 8, so I'd prefer a straight 64 bracket, but with the current format the reseeding could help to get the region foes away from each other). Could have the Sweet 16 all at one place - 4 games one day, 4 games the next.. off a few 2 games one day, 2 games the next... off... 2 final 4 games.. off.. championship. Could also try to do it in one "location", but use 2 different venues - then all games can be played in one day still.Originally posted by bballfan03 View PostLeave a comment:
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I agree with your format... less regions, larger regions.. at least then the chances of playing a team 4x is diminished a little.Originally posted by IUP24 View Post
And for the reasons you listed as to why Atlantic Region is one of the stronger regions (which I agree) is why I hate this format. West Liberty, IUP, Hurst (the years they were up there).. should have all had a chance to be get to the Elite 8 without having to kick the crap out of one another to do so.Leave a comment:
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I feel that. I always felt like while I was on campus, Joe Lombardi did a really good job at getting good people who assimilated very well with the student body. You would see them in line at the dining halls, walking to class, in the library, etc. And people generally knew who the basketball players were. But they were always good guys and easy to root for.Originally posted by Fightingscot82 View PostLeave a comment:
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I think that's as expected. With the exception of IUP's resurgence, attendance has been dropping as the older locals die off, local populations decline, and the students either aren't enrolling or would rather stream something for the 80th time. Unfortunately I don't see anything changing.Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS View Post
I attended a high school game for the first time in 25 years last night. My daughter wanted to go because she knows some of the kids on the team. At Edinboro, we got to know the players. Edinboro's star player at the time, Kenny Tate, was a cool guy who could dunk from the foul line with an afro. It was quite the visual. But we wanted to support him. When the athletes live with each other and don't engage with the rest of campus, it makes it easier to care less. The locals who support our teams are the same who still get a physical newspaper, watch the local news on TV, and probably attend the local high school's games.Leave a comment:
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Crazy to think the year Mercyhurst went to the E8 and nearly beat NWMS that they split four games with IUP.Originally posted by IUP24 View Post
IUP won up there. Mercy won in the KCAC on a walk-off (that IUP totally butchered). IUP blew them out in the PSAC title game. Mercyhurst beat them up a week later in the tournament.
Those two would have split a 20-game series evenly that season. Crazy games.Leave a comment:
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If you took all the favorites Wednesday night, you lost money (4 to 4 means you still pay the juice). The season is in the stretch run. Happy gambling, you degenerates.
Clarion at Seton Hill - Golden Eagles' star power forward Jayson Harris finally returned, and, naturally, Clarion snapped its long losing streak by hammering Pitt-Johnstown. Before they pop the champagne in Tippin, one has to consider that was UPJ's 10th straight loss and the Mountain Cats are now playing just 6-7 guys. This trip to Greensburg will likely make or break Clarion's season. The Golden Eagles are two games behind the Griffins for the final spot in the PSAC Tournament. If Clarion loses tomorrow, it could be lights out. Seton Hill is fresh off a near upset of California. The Griffins played incredibly on offense, scoring 93 points and nearly gave Vulcans' coach Danny Sancomb a heart attack. Seton Hill's usually-tough defense, however, was shredded. The Vulcans did whatever they wanted and put up 100 points in the McKenna Center. This is a tremendous matchup. Both teams, when healthy, are much better than people think. The Griffins won the first meeting by 7 points. Clarion's main weakness is it can't play a full 40 minutes. For 30 minutes, the Golden Eagles can hang with any team in the league. It's those extra 10 minutes that have ruined their season. Gambler beware. Seton Hill -2.5
Edinboro at Pitt-Johnstown - All heck has broken loose in Johnstown. The Mountain Cats have dropped a whopping 10 straight games. A star player bailed. Much has changed since this program made the NCAA Tournament a year ago. UPJ had at least been playing pretty competitively before Wednesday's blowout loss at Clarion. This funk likely will end after this season. UPJ is incredibly young -- and Bob Rukavina is trying his best to play less players than Joe Lombardi. Edinboro, on the other hand, is making strides this season. While the wins aren't there, the Fighting Scots are proving to be a tough out. The Dirty J has been a place where winning streaks have went to die for years, but this UPJ team doesn't have the magic of the past. They usually find a way to keep games close in Johnstown. Tomorrow could be similar. Scots -6.5
Slippery Rock at California - A rematch of perhaps the most shocking upset of the season thus far will take place in Angelo's Dome. The Vulcans will look to avenge the beating they received in Morrow Fieldhouse. California bounced back from its loss in Erie by barely escaping Greensburg. The Vulcans' offense was superb. Its defense was not good. The Rock is a strange bird. It can look great one night and very average the next. One thing to keep in mind is Ian Grady has been a thorn to Danny Sancomb the past couple years. He has a formula that works against the Vulcans. Cal has been a bit shaky the past two weeks -- and SRU has had a week to prepare. Can the Rock get a sweep? Doubtful ... but possible. Vulcans -6.5
Gannon at IUP - This one is real simple. IUP can't break the press. IUP has trouble inbounding the ball against the press. IUP has no depth. The depth IUP does have wears warm-up jackets all game. Damir Brooks could be one of the better forwards in the league but Joe won't play him. IUP has just three players who can score points. The end. Gannon -21.5
West Chester at East Stroudsburg - Damien Blair could throw a big wrench in to the East race with an upset tomorrow. His team is capable. The Rams, however, are a wild card. Which version will show up? The Warriors are 19-2, home and fresh off a bye. Logic says ESU wins. Logic isn't always right. This should be a good one. Warriors -6.5
Kutztown at Shippensburg - The Golden Bears are in the midst of a brutal 3-19 season. However, one of those wins came against Shippensburg. The Raiders are fresh off a pounding at Millersville. Tough year for both programs. Can Chris Fite get some payback tomorrow? Flip a coin. Home team gets a slight edge. Ship -1.5
Millersville at Bloomsburg - What's left of the Bloomsburg roster naturally pulled an upset and beat Mansfield the other night. This team is so up and down that it's nearly impossible to predict what will happen next. Bad news for the Huskies, however, is they aren't playing Mansfield tomorrow. Millersville is one of the hottest teams in the Region, and, as of now, the Marauders seem to be a lock for the NCAAs. The 'Ville is clearly favored, but watch the spread. These Huskies are tricky. Marauders -14.5
Shepherd at Mansfield - The Mounties are so close. One night they nearly knock off a heavyweight. The next they lose to Bloomsburg. Shepherd is beyond unpredictable. As of now, Mansfield is on pace for the final spot in the East. But, the margin for error is next to nothing. They better win this one at home. Mounties -2.5Leave a comment:
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That was a carbon copy of the earlier Ship-Millersville game. Ship hung around until early in the second half and then got blown out. When many of us who follow Ship saw the makeup os this year's roster, we knew that to win many games this year's team would have to shoot extremely well. They haven't shot very well most nights, and they haven't won many games. I suspect you'll see a very different (and bigger) Ship team next season.Originally posted by IUP24 View Post
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